I set a goal in 2021 to complete 3,650 pull ups. Pretty simple really, 10x per day, 365 days and boom…done!

Slight Edge Principles. Small actions (x) magnified by TIME = BIG RESULTS!

The psychology behind this isn’t only to do 10 per day. It’s to establish momentum doing 10 per day, EVERY DAY, such that it becomes easy and soon I’d be knocking out 20, 30, 50 or more a day. Soon repeat sets of 10 would turn into sets of 15-20. Putting me in a position of tremendous momentum to squash my mere 3,650 target and be in pursuit of 5,000+.

Except…you guessed it. That didn’t happen!

I got lost, lazy, not feeling great and forgetful in the 1st quarter of the year. Every day consequently I fell behind 10 per day for about 80-90 days. Or in bigger terms 800-900 behind my needed pace. Now what?!?!? The answer is never about moving the target to adjust for laziness.

My pull up bar is in the storage area of our basement. I mark my sets of ten with an “X” on the wall next to the bar like an inmate counting his days at Shawshank. X, X, X, X, X… There is no digital replacement for the feeling of accomplishment of scratching my lead pencil into the back of a sheet of drywall. Scratch /, scratch \…(X)DONE!

Basement Wall Pull-ups

Getting back, the 1st 10 was the hardest.
Getting back in running shape, the 1st mile was the hardest. I felt like my heart was going to rip through my chest and my legs felt like heavy noodles only 1/2 mile in.

As I regained my meditation practice, the first ten minutes of calming the hamster in my mind (who happened to feel like he was on a rager!) was the ABSOLUTE hardest.

Where am I now? I’m happy to report beginning August I’m in full “catch up” mode. Knocking out at least 50 or more pull-ups a day, sometimes closer to 100. I will surpass 3,650 in 2021. Write that down.

The point of this post is about embracing the suck of starting. It’s about embracing the pain and steep learning curve of starting anything. Immediately starting or learning any new skill or engaging a new regimen is going to take perseverance. Search “Learning Curve” and look at the image.

It’s going to suck right away. I’m going to suck right away. The technique will be poor and the outcome sloppy. But that’s the point!

I was listening to Anne Lamott (author of Bird by Bird) on the Tim Ferriss podcast. She teaches the power of “Shitty First Drafts” as they lead to good second drafts and terrific third drafts. The key is putting in the work. Getting your ass in the chair and sitting down to write.

The hardest part for me in this quest is simple. Grab the bar.

Just like the hardest part of a run is lacing up my running shoes.

Grab the bar, lace’em up and embrace the suck of starting!

What’s on the other side is the momentum needed to hit targets.